What happened to Trump in Turkey?
Trump attended the NATO summit in Ankara in July, travelling there aboard a Boeing 747 that had been gifted by Qatar and converted for use as the new Air Force One.
For the return journey, Trump publicly said he would use the older Air Force One for the first leg to Britain, while the newer aircraft would also stop at RAF Mildenhall so US service members could tour it.
At the time, Trump denied that security concerns were behind the decision. The Washington Post reported on July 9 that Trump had also suggested Iran could have tried to attack his aircraft and that journalists travelling with him had been asked to close their window blinds.
The explanation changed after The Washington Post reported this week that Trump had actually been secretly transferred to another aircraft because of a credible Iranian threat.
According to the Post, Trump boarded the older Air Force One at Ankara airport in front of cameras. He was then secretly moved off the aircraft in an airport catering truck and taken to a smaller US Air Force C-32A. That aircraft carried Trump to Britain, while the older Air Force One flew separately with journalists and White House personnel who believed the president was aboard.
Trump later secretly rejoined the older aircraft in Britain, allowing him to appear to have arrived aboard the plane that journalists had believed was carrying him.
News agencies Reuters and Associated Press subsequently reported on the operation.
What Trump said about the secret flight
Trump confirmed the aircraft switch on Tuesday, saying the Secret Service and military had instructed him to use another plane because of a threat. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, different plane,” Trump told reporters.
He said he had not asked for many details about the threat.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it,” AP quoted Trump as saying. Trump also said he believed the aircraft he ultimately flew on may actually have been at greater risk.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” he said, arguing that an attacker would have been more likely to target the aircraft believed to be carrying him.
The White House has defended its security measures, while the Secret Service has not publicly detailed the operation.
Clinton’s decoy operation began in Mumbai
The Clinton operation took place on March 25, 2000, as he travelled from India to Pakistan at the end of a South Asia tour. At Mumbai airport, Clinton appeared to be preparing to board a large US Air Force C-17 transport aircraft. But instead of getting onto the C-17, he walked around its nose and headed towards two smaller Gulfstream jets parked on the other side.
One aircraft carried US markings and an American flag. The other was completely unmarked and white. Clinton boarded the unmarked aircraft. Secret Service personnel boarded the marked aircraft, and both planes took off for Pakistan.
The departure was broadcast on Indian television. But because the C-17 partially obscured the view of cameras and journalists, relatively few people realised that Clinton had actually boarded the smaller, unmarked aircraft, The Washington Post reported.
The deception continued after the planes reached Pakistan. The aircraft carrying US markings landed first in front of journalists waiting to receive Clinton. Several men in suits emerged, including a Secret Service agent who resembled the president.
Then the unmarked aircraft approached from another direction and landed separately. Before Clinton stepped out, a large black limousine moved between him and the journalists. His motorcade then left the airport with five similar black limousines, making it difficult to determine which vehicle was carrying the president, the report added.
US officials said the extra aircraft, decoy personnel and multiple vehicles were designed to confuse potential attackers.
Importantly, officials said the elaborate measures were not prompted by a specific threat. However, they were highly concerned about Clinton’s safety because of recent anti-Western terrorism and violence in Pakistan. The operation had reportedly been rehearsed for weeks.
Why was Clinton travelling to Pakistan?
Clinton’s 2000 South Asia trip came at a particularly sensitive time. His itinerary included India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with his Pakistan visit attracting considerable attention because of the tense relationship between India and Pakistan.
Earlier during the trip, a planned visit to a Bangladeshi village was cancelled because US officials cited a credible security threat. The Washington Post also reported concerns over anti-Western violence in Pakistan.
The security precautions, therefore, reflected a wider concern about the president’s safety rather than a publicly identified threat against the particular aircraft.
The biggest difference: What did the press know?
The Washington Post has reported that Susan Page, who was covering Clinton’s trip for USA Today and later served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, was briefed in advance on the extraordinary security arrangements, including the use of a decoy plane.
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World · Explainer · Then vs Now
Trump vs Clinton: how US presidents used decoy planes
Twenty-six years apart, two US presidents were quietly switched off a plane marked as Air Force One and onto a smaller jet — each time to foil a credible threat. Here's how the two ruses compare.
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2000
Bill Clinton
Mumbai, India → Islamabad, Pakistan
Why: the Secret Service and CIA warned that visiting Pakistan — on March 25, 2000 — could risk the president's life.
1
The airport
Clinton appears to head toward a US Air Force C-17.
2
The switch
He instead slips onto a small, unmarked white Gulfstream. A US-marked jet serves as the decoy.
3
Arrival in Pakistan
At Islamabad the decoy lands first and a Secret Service agent resembling Clinton emerges. The real Clinton lands separately.
4
The motorcade
He rides in one of six identical presidential limousines to confound any attacker.
5
The press
At least one traveling journalist had been briefed about the security ruse.
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2026
Donald Trump
Ankara, Turkey → RAF Mildenhall, UK
Why: a reported Iran threat prompted extra precautions leaving the NATO summit on July 8, 2026.
1
The airport
Trump boards the older Air Force One (the 747) in front of cameras in Ankara.
2
The transfer
He is secretly moved off the plane inside an airport catering truck.
3
The switch
He transfers to a US Air Force C-32A. The older Air Force One flies on with the press as the decoy.
4
Arrival in the UK
Trump lands first, secretly reboards the older jet at Mildenhall, and later appears to disembark from it on camera.
5
The press
Journalists aboard the decoy reportedly did not know Trump had left.
The key difference
In 2000, at least one reporter was told about the swap. In 2026, the traveling press reportedly was not — the sharpest contrast between the two, per the Washington Post.
Sources: The Washington Post · USA Today · The Hill · NBC News · AFP. Details as reported; the 2026 operation was described by a US official and corroborating material.
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Page said the briefing covered the dangers involved in travelling to Pakistan and the measures being taken to protect Clinton. Her account means that at least one journalist travelling with the president knew that the aircraft arrangement was not what it appeared to be.
In Trump’s. case, journalists aboard the older Air Force One believed Trump was travelling with them. Some White House staff members were also unaware that he had been transferred to the C-32A. The operation remained undisclosed until The Washington Post reported it weeks later.
Secret presidential travel is not new
US presidents have previously used elaborate measures to conceal sensitive travel. AP reported that presidents have undertaken secret or partially secret trips to dangerous locations, including Joe Biden’s 2023 visit to Kyiv and Trump’s 2019 surprise trip to US troops in Afghanistan.
The difference in Trump’s latest case is the extent of the deception. The president was separated from the aircraft carrying his travelling press corps and some officials. The aircraft the journalists believed was carrying Trump continued to Britain while he travelled separately.
In March 2000, then US President Bill Clinton employed a similar security ruse during a trip from India to Pakistan. (AI-generated image) 
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